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I write fantasy for tweens and teens. I blog about books and writing and occasionally travel and homeschooling.

My world of Aluvia series is with Curiosity Quills Press, and is an upper-middle grade fantasy, well-suited for ages 11-14, though all ages can enjoy it. FAIRY KEEPER, MER-CHARMER and DRAGON REDEEMER each stand-alone but are best read as a series. My fourth book will be releasing with Blaze Publishing this summer, called THE WORST VILLAIN EVER.

This is a family-friendly site. Note: There are some spoilers in a few of my book reviews, primarily the ones done for my grad school classes. I do warn readers with a big, "SPOILER!" announcement on the review.

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Monday, November 18, 2013

DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Amal is sixteen, Australian, Pakistani and
Muslim. She decides she is finally ready
to wear the hijab, Muslim head scarf, full-time as a mark of her faith. This means wearing it even to her upscale prep
school. As predicted by her concerned
parents, she attracts all kinds of attention, good and bad, and struggles
against stereotypes and ignorance. Amal
works hard to determine what it means to be a young Muslim woman today in a
society that does not always understand what her faith means to her and why she
chooses to wear the hijab. Through
Amal’s experiences, readers are given a helpful understanding of the vast
points of view within the Muslim community about the role of women, and what it
means to be a young Muslim girl in a predominantly non-Muslim area.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Abdel-Fattah
uses the first person voice of Amal to share an insider’s view of being a Palestinian- Muslim-Australian. She uses
humor to keep the book from getting too heavy, but she deftly touches on topics
such as prejudice, 9-11, dating, job career choices, marrying and more. The story is definitely about a teenager
learning who she is and who she wants to be as a person of faith, and it weaves
in cultural authenticity constantly, from what she eats to what she wears.

Given
that the hijab is a major plot point of the story, the question of clothing
comes up very frequently. Abdel-Fattah
skillfully avoids stereotypes by showing instead the many ways girls and women
approach the hijab. Some of her friends
wear it; some do not. Her mother, the
dentist, wears the hijab, but her aunt does not and bleaches her hair
blond. When Josh asks why her hijab is
not colorful as some he has seen, Amal explains, “…every girl is going to
interpret the hijab differently. It
depends on their culture, or their fashion sense, you know? There’s no one uniform for it” (72).

Amal
speaks casually with plenty of slang and drama, making sure readers never
forget this is a story about a teen, not a dissertation on Islam. “So when you’re a non-pork eating,
Eid-celebrating Mossie (as in taunting nickname for Muslim, not mosquito) with an unpronounceable
last name and a mother who picks up you from school wearing a hijab and Gucci
shades, and drives a car with an “Islam means peace” bumper sticker, a quiet
existence is impossible” (10). Her
sassy, sarcastic remarks keep her real and human and very much a teenager in
the reader’s eyes. When people ask about
her hijab, she jokes with them, “I’ve gone bald” (71) or “My dad told me if I
don’t wear it he’ll marry me off to a sixty-five-year-old camel owner in Egypt”
(70). The pace of the story moves
quickly thanks to her liberal use of humor.

As
mentioned in our book (Smolen and Oswald, 274), a number of Middle Eastern
books deal with the theme of immigrant experiences. This is not a traditional immigrant kind of
story, but it touches on this theme nonetheless. Australia is Amal’s home—she was born in
Australia. Her parents were “both born
in Bethlehem, but there are fifty-two years of Australian citizenship between
them” (3). However, the Catholic
neighbor, in particular, has a touching, poignant story of moving to Australia
from Greece, not speaking English, not meeting people, being so afraid of
losing their store, of having many miscarriages. It is heavy material, but because Amal always
manages to make people laugh, the readers are able to take breaks and laugh
with them, even when we have just witnessed how hard it can be to be an
immigrant. And though Amal is not
technically an immigrant, she is still an outsider. As she puts it, “I’m an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian. That means I was born an Aussie and whacked
with some seriously confusing identity hyphens…I mean, it’s hard enough being
an Arab Muslim at a new school with your hair tumbling down your
shoulders. Shawling up is just plain
psychotic” (6).

Amal
mentions the derogatory words she has faced while living in Melbourne and she
knows she’ll be called names if she wears the hijab (“towelhead” is mentioned,
pg 27), but she also describes beautifully the reasons a woman would choose to
wear the veil. “…I want that identity.
You know, the symbol of my faith. I want
to know what it means to be strong enough to walk around with it and stick up
for my right to wear it” (24). She is
afraid of the consequences of her choice, “So you can understand why I’m
walking around the stores in combat mode, avoiding eye-contact…” (27), but
ultimately decides to do what she believes is right. After a trip to the mall where she greets a
few other girls wearing the hijab, Amal reflects, “I’m sharing something with millions
of other women around the world and it feel so exciting. I know some people might find it hard to
believe but walking around the mall tonight I’d never felt so free and sure of
who I am. …I was looking and feeling
good on my own terms, and boy did that feel awesome” (29).

Later,
she discusses boys and food and general life with her friends—showing very
clearly that she is still a typical teenager despite her choice to take her
faith more seriously. She finds a place
to pray; she already has been participating fully in Ramadan. She wears the hijab—but still takes an hour
to situate it perfectly around her face without any sags or creases. She’s definitely still a regular teenage
girl.

The book title itself is amusing and perfect, showing her concern about her appearance even while putting on the mark of her faith.

Readers
are treated to sprinkles of Arabic throughout the passage, adding the
authenticity and credibility of the storyline.
“Yallah!” is probably the word
we see the most of, which means, “Come on” or “Hurry up!” We see her nickname
is “Ya Amal” which means “Oh
Amal.” And we see words related to their
culture, such as the morning fajr, or
prayer. She performs the wuduh, the ablution, and readers are
able to follow along to see what these traditions look like in the daily life
of a middle income family (29). The
authenticity is strengthened by the fact that the author is Australian, Muslim
and of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage.

The theme of being true to who you
are is strong throughout the novel.The
author does not hide from the barriers to standing up as a Muslim.Amal says to her crush, “Do you have any idea
how it feels to be me, a Muslim,
today?I mean, just turn on the
television, open a newspaper.There will
be some feature article analyzing, deconstructing, whipping up some theory
about Islam and Muslims.Another chance
to make sense of this phenomenon called ‘the Muslim’It feels like I’m drowning in it all” (156). She
is even asked by the class president to explain Islam and why the bombers who
were suspected to be Muslims would do such a thing. Amal explains that they
have nothing to do with her faith, but the class president never seems to
understand why Amal does not want to be associated with the bombers in this way
and finds it offensive to be asked to speak on their behalf.

The theme of being true to yourself
and embracing your heritage and faith is developed also in the side-characters
such as Leila, who runs away from home rather than marry early. For Leila, the Koran clearly says it is her
duty to get an education. Her mother
does not read the Koran, but was raised as a Muslim in a little village and
believes what she was told about the role of the woman—and living as a wife and
mother has made her happy. Through
Leila, readers are able to better understand a mother who sees an early
marriage as the best thing for her daughter.
For those of us in America who generally do not value arranged
marriages, it offers a helpful insight into why a parent would find such a
thing appealing for a child. And Amal’s
aunt and uncle illustrate the theme by how hard they try to NOT be
Pakistani. When the uncle has his boss
over, he goes out of his way to use Australian slang (“Hey there, mate!”) and
when the guest compliments the food, saying how much he loves Middle Eastern
food, the uncle explains how his wife cooks many types of food, not just Middle
Eastern food.

Amal’s friend Eileen is
Japanese-Australian and says, “My parents emigrated from Japan about twenty
years ago and they’re still going on about the traditions and cultural norms
they were following when they left, all those years back” (150).
She speaks Japanese at home and her mom wears old-fashioned
kimonos. She shares the experience of
being torn between two cultures and she chooses a path from both that works for
her.

Vardell states, “It can be
challenging to locate children’s books which authentically reflect the experiences
of immigrants from the Middle East” (overview, n.p) Even though this book is not about an
immigrant from the Middle East, as Amal is also Australian, it does serve as a
wonderful book to expand children’s horizons when it comes to Arabic culture
and understanding Islam, “one of the most misunderstood religions” (Smolen and
Oswald, 270). Vardell states, “Indeed,
what we really need is books for young people about growing up in AMERICA with
Middle Eastern backgrounds” (Overview, n.p.)
Even though this book is set in Melbourne, Australia, the description of
the city (majority white, middle class, shopping malls, private schools,
suburbs) could just as easily be some middle-sized city in America. It is a worthy addition to any library.

The
cover is upbeat and funky-fun, with bright colored circles and the top half of
an Arabic girl’s face, wearing a red hijab, with her eyes looking upward at her
veil. The hijab has center stage. The cover does a perfect job of representing
the central idea of the story and Amal’s focus on what putting on the hijab
means for her and her life.

4. REVIEW
EXCERPT(S)

“The
sight of Jennifer Aniston in a bridesmaid's dress creates an urge to change the
channel for most viewers, but for witty, academically talented Amal Abdel-Hakim,
it inspires the confidence to wear the hijab full time. …Throughout the book,
Amal makes candid yet astute observations on what it means to be a Muslim, a
modern woman, and a good friend and daughter. Although the book addresses many
teen issues including identity, family, religious traditions, and body image,
it rarely strays into the realm of didactic. There is plenty of gentle humor,
and strong female relationships balance Amal's racist classmates and a friend's
crushingly traditional Muslim parent. In addition to her friendships, Amal also
tries to deal with a crush that she knows will never develop into a romance and
the hypocritical behaviors of some of her cousins. This novel is an excellent
addition to the multicultural and chick-lit genres, and it is recommended for
most collections”- Voice of Youth
Advocates, Aug 1, 1007.

“"*Starred
Review* Like the author of this breakthrough debut novel, Amal is an
Australian-born, Muslim Palestinian whacked with some seriously confusing
identity hyphens. … Without heavy preaching, the issues of faith and culture
are part of the story, from fasting at Ramadan to refusing sex before marriage.
More than the usual story of the immigrant teen's conflict with her traditional
parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens
everywhere."-Booklist, July 1,
2007.

"With
an engaging narrator at the helm, Abdel-Fattah's debut novel should open the
eyes of many a reader. … As Amal struggles with her identity in a post-9/11
world …her faith-and an array of ever-ready quips-help her navigate an
often-unforgiving world. Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity,
Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any
other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any
reason. Ages 12-up. “- Publishers Weekly,
May 21, 2007.

"Gr
7 Up-Australian 11th-grader Amal is smart, funny, outspoken, a good student,
and a loyal friend. She is also a devout Muslim who decides to wear the hijab,
or head covering, full-time. …While the novel deals with a number of serious
issues, it is extremely funny and entertaining, and never preachy or forced.
The details of Amal's family and social life are spot-on, and the book is
wonderful at showing the diversity within Muslim communities and in explaining
why so many women choose to wear the hijab. Amal is an appealing and believable
character. She trades verbal jibes with another girl, she is impetuous and even
arrogant at times, and she makes some serious errors of judgment. And by the
end of the story, she and readers come to realize that ‘Putting on the hijab
isn't the end of the journey. It's just the beginning of it.’”-School Library Journal, June 1, 2007.

5.
CONNECTIONS

Read
other books by Randa Abdel-Fattah, Ten
Things I Hate About Me, which deals with the same sort of theme of choosing
to be publically Muslim.

Read
poems by Naomi Shihab Nye The
Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East. Compare a poem to the experiences
of Amal in Australia as a Muslim girl of Palestinian descent.

Read
informational books about Arabic or Muslim culture and compare the cultural
markers described to what is seen in this book.

Read
a fiction book set in a Middle Eastern culture. Perhaps consider Where the Streets Had a Name, also by
Randa Abdel-Fattah.How are the
experiences of the girl as Palestinian Muslim girl in a Middle Eastern country
different than Amal’s as a Palestinian-Australian Muslim?

The
book taught me a lot about Islam and Muslim females, for which I’m thankful. I
did not know, for example, that “Islamic” is not how you refer to a Muslim
person. So I’m glad I learned that. However, I will add that while I would buy
this book for a library, I personally did not feel that Amal was truly
believable as a teenager because she was just too wise, too kind to the mean
old neighbor, too understanding of too many people (excluding the required Mean
Girls in the high school.) I also wish
she would have explained more about why she could not even date, because it was like
an assumption was made that because she was choosing to abstain from sexual
intimacy, that meant no dating, when there seems to be a wide spectrum of
behaviors in dating. She says, “Nah, you
know I don’t know the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing” (74) and then
immediately mentions how she’d never “cross the line” for him and “you know the
whole thing about no sex and physical intimacy before marriage” (75) which I
understand. But I guess I found it
strange that she automatically equates dating with having sex, when I have
known quite a few teens who do not believe in casual sex like that, or even no
sex before marriage. I did not like that
it implied all dating people are sleeping together. It just sort of confused me. I
would have liked to hear more about her reasons for not dating at all.

Works
Referenced:

Abdel-Fattah,
Randa. (2010). Where
the Streets Had a Name. New
York: Scholastic Press.